Cap for silos



Dec. 18, 1928. 1,695,502

5 W. A. PARSONS CAP FOR S ILOS Filed July 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY M ,wtwew WW-A ATTORNEYS Dec. 18, 1928. I 1,695,502

w. A. PARSONS CAP FOR SILOS Filed July 2, 1927 ZSheQtS-Sheet 2 55 2 A? ifi/ A 4o "42 INVENTOR a7 1 BY AITORNEY 5 Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. rAitsoNs, or FORT ATKINSON; Wisconsin.

CAP FOR SILOS.

Application filed July 2,

This invention relates to improvements in caps, for silos and other buildings having similar requirements. The primary object of this invention-is to provide a cap,.piarticularly a ventilating cap, adapted to cover an opening in the roof or top'wall of a build- 7 ing in such a manner'that the capcan be securely anchored. in a position to close said opening in comblnation with means for se-v curely holding the cap in a generally :up-

' right positionwhen removed from the opening, whereby injuries such as might result from the cap falling from the roof or tipping overmay be avoided.

Further objects of myi'nvention are to pro- 'videa cap such as a silo cap, adapted for use for silos and other purposes which will'not only be removable to allow the silo to be filled from thetop alongthe longitudinal center :line, thereby coinpacting thecentral por tion of the contents relatively to the side por tions thereof whereby the central .mass will i which is that ot' a tr-uncate'dconewith a cenbe ofgreat density. 1 V

.In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of my improved ventilator cap as it appears'when applied to the top of a silo, .a fragment of the roof wall being shown and the position of the; cap when removed from theopeningfbeingalso indi cated by dotted lines.

Figure 2 is awiewi'oif the cap vas seen from the underside.

Figure 3 iiSiiL fragmentary View on an en-v larged scale illustrating the locking toggle with the -:cap in normal "positionand with the cap in open position, dotted. I E Figure 4 is' a fragmentary'view of the locking lever-and associated parts.

Figure {5 is a fragment ary'viewin horizon I s ."be. sozsecured to the S110 roof by any suitable tal section drawn online 5 5 of Figure 4.

Like parts'are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In Figure 1 a -fragment of a silo topwall or roof 10 is illustrated; the generalform of 1927. SerialNo. 203,052.

tral aperture llthrough which the silo may be filled and ventilated. The margin of the roof wall about the opening 11 is coveredby a ring 12 having an upstanding flange 13 over which a cap flange 14 may fit. This cap flange is securedto theconi'cal base por-- tion 15 of a ventilator cap from which rises the cylindrical ventilator column 17. A-suitable roof '18 is supported from the column 17 by a set of .posts 20 andfispreferabl spaced by the posts fromthetop of theco umn to'allow for a circulation ofzair. The

sloping sides of the base portionarepreferably provided with wire glass windows 21 of sufficient strength :anddurability, where- V by sufiicient light is admitted toenableworkmen to perform their duties within the silo. V V

The ring .12 is secured to the flat annular portion' 22 of the roof 10 by bolts 23,.and

at one side of the opening v11 .tlIB'iIlIl'g flange V 13 isprovidedv with brackets 25 which are secured thereto by boltsor .rivets'26. These brackets are. spaced apart *at a distancepfabout9O withinthe circle-occupied by the flange 13' and their inner sides aresubstantially parallel with each other. Link bars 1 are pivotally secured to the brackets, by pivot bolts 27 and connectithem with depending brackets28 attached to the :cap flangeslt.

Each link bar has. a downwardly inclined end portion 29 connected with the pivot :bolt 27, the central portion of the link bar be ing horizontally disposed .and the-opposite end portion 31 being upwardly :inclinedsand' connected. with the bracket 28-by a pivot bolt 32. The object of inclining the end portions 29 and .31 is to enable the center portion .30

to be downwardly ofl'set sufliciently to allow the link bars to swing to the'inverted position in which they are indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 when thecap is adjusted to open -position as alsoindicatedby'dotted lines.

In the open position the oliset portions of the linkbars virtually form arches over theflange,

18, the link bar's being ineflfectarcuate bars.

In the dotted :line'position thezcapxflange 14 Y rests'upon' the central portions .30 or the link bars and theringv finds a thirdpoint ofv support. upon theroof as indicated at, .35; Thereupon the inner margin of thecap may connections such as a hook 37 engageableiin an apertureSS in the ring 14, said hoo'k be ing connected with the silo root The horizontal inwardly projecting portion of this bracket receives a bolt 42, the lower end of which is reduced and threaded to receive the nut 43 underneath the bracket flange, whereas the upper or shank portion of the bolt has a shoulder engaging the upper surface of the flange to be clamped thereto by the nut 43. The shank portion of the bolt curves toward the central portion of the silo and is provided with one or more head pieces or cars 44 to which a toggle lever 45 is pivoted at 46. The pivoted end portion of this toggle lever is laterally ott'set at 47 and a link bar 48 is pivotally secured at 49. The other end of the link bar 48 is connected with the hook 37 by a coiled tension spring 50.

By swinging the operating lever 45 to the dotted line position in which it is illustrated in Figure 3 the hook 37 may be. easily engaged with the ring 14, whereupon the lever 45 may be swung downwardly to the full lineposition in which it is illustrated in Figure 3. In moving to the full line position the pivot pin 49 swings across a line of centers between the pivot pin 46 and the point of engagement between the hook 37 and the ring 14. The spring 50 yields sufiiciently to extend the-linkage and allow said pivot pin 49 to follow the necessary arcuate path and after passing said line of centers the spring contracts slightly but retains suflicient tension to securely anchor the ventilator cap in the position in which it is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. The silo cap is thus supported upon the silo roof against wind pressures and also against any pressure that may be exerted thereon b workmen when filling the silo.

It will e observed in Figures 1 and 3that the bolts 41 project for a short distance beyond the ring flange 13 thereby forming studs which engage in apertures inthe cap flange 14 when the cap is in its normal position for closing the opening 11. Qn the opposite side the cap flange 14 may then be secured to the flange 13 by a locking bolt or rod 56 of peculiar construction and function which will now be described.

The locking bolt 56 comprises the end portion of a rod which is bent to form a handle loop 57 the outer leg 58 of which is elbowed at 59, the end portion of the rod being extended through a notch 62 in the lower margin of the f cap ring 14 (Figures 4 and 5) and through an aperture in the ring flange 13. The inwardly projecting end of the rod is provided with a suitable handle 65 and compression spring 66 is coiled about the rod and interposed between the cross pin 67 and the ring 13, whereby the rod is urged toward locking position with its locking bolt portion 56 engaged with registering apertures in the ring flanges 13 and 14 as best shown in Figure 1. V 1

With the above described construction the silocap may be unlocked either from the exterior or from theinterior of the silo, When it is to be unlocked from the exterior the operator will grasp. the handle portion 58 and .pull the rod outwardly until lock portion 56 is disengaged from said registering apertures in the rings. Thereupon the handle 58may be swung to a horizontal position as illustrated in Figure 5 or by dottedlines in Figure 4. The portion 56 thereupon engages in the recess 62 at the enlarged end of said recess. The handle portion 58 may then be used as a lever to lift the ring 14 from the ring flange 13 on the side-occupied by the lock. Attcrslightly lifting the cap in this manner the ring 14 or any other portion of the cap may be grasped and additionally lifted until the cap has been raised far enough on this side to allow it to be shifted and disengaged on the other side from the stud. bolt or bolts 41. Thereupon the entire cap may be additionally moved in the same direction until it reaches the Figure 1 dotted line position, the invertible link bars guiding it during this movement and limiting the movement of the cap so 7 that it cannot tip over or fall from the root. lVhen adjusted to the open position it may be additionally secured by means of the hook 37.

It will, of course, be understood that when it is desired to release the cap from the interior of the silo the handle65 will be employed to unlock the cap by retraction of the locking bolt 56.

It will be understood that my improved cap retaining and locking mechanism will be applicable to any form of roof cap or any cap subject to analogous use regardless of whether the same constitutes a ventilating cap or a cap provided with windows. Various structural modifications in the caps and in the locking mechanisms may be made within the scope of my invention and the words and terms employed in this description and in the appended claims are usedfor the purpose of description and notlimitation.

I claim: 1

1. The combination with an apertured roof structure, of a cap adapted to normally cover the aperture in the roof, and a set of substantially parallel links connecting the capwit-h the marginal portions ofthe roof, said links being pivotally secured to the cap on the opposite side of a transverse diametrical center line from that at which the linksare connected with the roof, and the central portions of the links being downwardly ofiset to allow a bodily shifting movement of the cap to one side of the aperture without inversion.

2. The combination with an apertured roof structure, of a movable cover cap linked to the roof structure within the aperture adapted to be, bodily shifted to one side ofthe aperture without inversion, interlocking means for securing the cap in closing position, and

co-operative toggle connections for securing provided with a circular opening, a ring secured to the roof structure about said opening and provided with an upwardly extending flange, a cap adapted to cover saidopening and provided with a depending circular flange adapted tofit over the roof ring flange, brackets connected wlth the respective flanges .on opposite sides of a dialnetrical center line,

and parallel links connecting the roof ring brackets with the cap ring brackets, the central portions of said links being downwardly offset, whereby the links may swing to an inverted position overthe roof ring whenthe cap is shifted to open position, and whereby said cap may be held without inversion upon the sloping portions of a rooii:

4. The combination with a roof structure provided with a circular opening, a ring secured to the roof structure about said opening and provided with an upwardly extending flange, a cap adapted to cover said opening and provided with a; depending circular flange adapted to fit overthe roof ring flange, brackets connected with the respective flanges on opposite sides of a diametrical center line, and parallel links connecting the roof ring brackets with the cap ring brackets, the central portions of said links being downwardly offset, whereby the links may swing to an inverted position overthe roofring' when the cap is shifted to open position, and whereby said cap may be held without'inversion upon the sloping portions of a roof, said said bracketand having a portion projecting V transversely of the pivotal axis in a position to swing across avertlcal lme through such axis, a link pivotally secured to the a transversely extendingportion of the lever,

and a hook resiliently connected with said;

link and' adapted-for interlocking engagement with the cap.

6. The combination with an a-pertured'roof structure I having an upwardly extending flange along the margins of theaperture, a

cap provided with a flange adapted to engage over the roof, flange, linkage connecting the respective flanges and adapted to allow the cap to be shifted from a normal aperture closing position to a laterally offset position without disengagement from said linkage, means for normally interlocking the roof flange with the cap flange at one side of the aperture, and a. spring actuated locking bolt adapted to connect such flanges at the other side-of said aperture when the'cap is in aperture covering position. a I

7. Thecornbination with a roof structure provided with an aperture bordered by anupwardly projectingflange, of a ventilator cap I 1 having a depending flange adapted to cover the roof flange, linkageconnecting the roof flange atone side of the aperture with the cap flan'geat the other side of the aperture and adapted to swing to an inverted position of extension over the roof flange for supporting the cap in a laterally oflset position,

and means for securing the capin both the aperture covering positionand the offset,

position.

, 8. The combination with a roo f structure I provided with an aperture bordered jby an upwardly projecting flange, of j a ventilator cap having a depending flange adapted to cover the roof flange, linkage connecting the roof flange'at one side of the aperture with the cap flange at the other side of the aper ture and adapted to swing to an inverted position of extension over the roof flange for V supporting the cap in ailaterally 'ofl'set position, andmeans for securing the cap 1n both the aperture coveringv position and in the offset position, said cap having a conically tapered baseprovided with windowsand .a central upwardly extending ventilator por- WILLIAM A. PARSONS, g 7

tion. 

